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Shooter in Sinks Canyon incident reaches plea deal

Jun 27, 2013 - By Eric Blom, Staff Writer

The man who authorities said shot at three unarmed people in January has signed a plea agreement with Fremont County Attorney Michael Bennett. Under the deal, ...

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The man who authorities said shot at three unarmed people in January has signed a plea agreement with Fremont County Attorney Michael Bennett. Under the deal, Jeremy Cunningham would plead guilty to two counts of aggravated assault and battery and would spend 18 to 48 months in prison and pay restitution of $4,200.
The charges are felonies punishable by up to 10 years in prison each and a $10,000 fine. The restitution would cover repairs to a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck damaged in the January shooting.
The judge, at a hearing scheduled for July 2, will decide whether to accept the agreement, which drops one count of aggravated assault and three counts of attempted second-degree murder. If 9th Judicial District Judge Norman E. Young rejects the deal, Cunningham can withdraw his plea.
The defendant, who was 35 at the time of the shooting, will have his $100,000 cash bond continued until sentencing, according to the plea agreement. He faced 20 years to life in prison for each attempted murder charge.
Four shots
The charges stem from Cunningham's Feb. 1 arrest after police say he fired four shots at three victims the previous evening on Highway 131 (Sinks Canyon Road). The three adult victims were uninjured in the incident.
According to court documents, the victims told police they were coming into Lander after sledding at the Warming Hut in Sinks Canyon when they passed a Toyota pickup truck. The driver, later identified as Cunningham, reportedly flipped off the victim driver and waved to come after him.
According to court documents, the victim driver turned around at Mortimore Lane and proceeded to follow Cunningham. Police say Cunningham stopped and pulled out a rifle. The victim driver at this time reportedly pulled over on Pheasant Run Road and stepped out.
"At this time the driver of the Toyota pickup truck stopped behind (the victims') pickup truck and shot into (the victims' truck) three times," court documents stated.
The victim driver then ran to the front of his pickup truck to hide when he said he heard a fourth shot "whiz" past his head.
The victims told police they did not know Cunningham.
The suspect pickup truck later was located in the 700 block of South Fifth Street. A .257 Cal Roberts Ruger bolt-action hunting rifle with a black Deer Field scope was discovered inside the truck.